ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKETING STRATEGY

PRACTICES OF AMBO MINERAL WATER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS IN
BUSINESS ADMISNTRATION (MBA)

BY
FANA WELAY

ADVISOR
Dr. Getachew Habtamu

May, 2019
 ST.MARY’S UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

FACULTY OF BUSINESS

ASSESSMENT OF MARKETING STRATEGY PRACTICES IN

AMBO MINERAL WATER FACTORY

BY:

FANA WELAY

APPROVED BY BOARD OF EXAMINERS

Dean, Graduate Studies Signature & Date

Advisor Signature & Date

External Examiner Signature & Date

Internal Examiner Signature & Date

i
 ENDORSEMENT

This thesis has been submitted to St. Mary’s University, School of Graduate Studies for
examination with my approval as a university advisor.

Advisor Signature & Date

ii
 DECLARATION
First, I declare that this thesis manuscript is prepared by my effort with the guidance and close
supervision of my advisor. I declare that this thesis is not submitted to any other institution anywhere for
the award of an academic degree, diploma or certificate. This is to certify that this title entitled
“assessment of marketing strategy practices in the case of ambo mineral water manufacturing industry”
can be submitted for partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree of MBA in business
administration at St. Mary's University through the school of MBA done by Ms FANA WELAY under
my full guidance. The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree at any
other higher education institutions to the best of my knowledge and belief.

FANA WELAY

Name Signature Date

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 Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................................................ 6
List of Acronyms .............................................................................................................................................. 7
List of Tables and Figure .................................................................................................................................. 9
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................... 10
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1Background of the Study .............................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Background of the Organization ................................................................................................................. 2
1.4 Research Question ...................................................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Objectives of the study ................................................................................................................................ 4
1.5.1 General Objective ................................................................................................................................. 4
1.5.2 Specific Objective ................................................................................................................................. 4
1.6 Scope of the study........................................................................................................................................ 4
1.7 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................................................. 4
1.8 Organization of the Paper........................................................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................................................. 6
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ........................................................................................................ 6
2.1The nature of Marketing .............................................................................................................................. 6
2.4.1 Segmentation ........................................................................................................................................ 8
2.4.2 Market Targeting ................................................................................................................................ 10
2.4.3 Positioning .......................................................................................................................................... 10
2.4.4.2 Pricing Strategies ............................................................................................................................. 12
2.4.4.4 Distribution Strategies ..................................................................................................................... 13
2.4.5 Distribution Channels ........................................................................................................................... 13
2.6 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................................ 16
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................... 17
3.1 Research Approach and Design ................................................................................................................ 17

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3.2 Data sources ............................................................................................................................................. 17
3.3 Sampling Design ....................................................................................................................................... 17
3.4 Data Collection instruments ..................................................................................................................... 18
3.5. Procedures of Data Collection ................................................................................................................ 18
3.6 Method of Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 18
3.7. Ethical considerations ............................................................................................................................. 18
CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................................................... 19
Data Presentation and Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 19
CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................................................ 27
SUMMARY , CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ...................................................................... 27
5.1 Purpose and research questions ............................................................................................................... 27
5.2 Summary of the major findings ................................................................................................................. 27
5.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 28
5.4. Recommendation ...................................................................................................................................... 30
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................... 30
Appendix A ..................................................................................................................................................... 33
APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................................................. 36

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 Acknowledgement

Above all, I would like to thank the Almighty God and His beloved mother St. Marry who have
been with me throughout my life.
First, my grateful thanks go to my advisor Dr. Getachew Habtamu for his support and
encouragement while doing the thesis.
Secondly, I would like to extend my gratitude to all Ambo Mineral Water Manufacturing
Industry staff. Finally yet importantly, I would like to thanks my family who gave me moral and
encouragement while doing the thesis.

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List of Acronyms
CMO: Chief marketing Officer

CFO: Chief financial officer

CIO: Chief Information Officer

TVADS: Television advertisement

vii
 List of Tables and Figure

Figure: 1 conceptual frame work------------------------------------------------------------- 16

Table: 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19

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 ABSTRACT
The ultimate goal of any business establishment is to remain in business profitably through
production and sales of products or services. Without optimal profit, a business firm cannot
survive. One of the core activities in a business company to stay in business is having a well
developed marketing strategy. The ultimate success or failure of a company depends on its
marketing strategy. So, it should be implemented effectively to achieve the company’s objectives.
The respondents of this study were all the employees of the company working in the marketing
division. These employee respondents were selected because it is they who actually involved in
the marketing strategy implementation. Data were collected through questionnaire (employees)
and interview (marketing manager). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics techniques,
namely, frequency distribution and percentages. The researcher took all the respondents of
marketing staff as a total population of the study. The results indicated that the company has faced
problems in implementing the marketing strategies related to infrastructure problems, economic
problem, shortage of raw material, seasonality of consumption.

Key words:

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The focus of this section is mainly to address the background of the study, statements of the problem,
Objectives of the study, Methodology, Significance of the study, Scope and limitation of the study.

1.1Background of the Study

Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and
delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the
organization and its stakeholders. Marketing strategy is the art and science of choosing target
markets and getting, keeping, and growing customers through creating, delivering, and
communicating superior customer value (Verhoef & Leeflang, 2009).

Marketing is not done only by the marketing department. It needs to affect every aspect of the
customer experience. To create a strong marketing organization, marketers must think like
executives in other departments, and executives in other departments must think more like
marketers (Verhoef & Leeflang, 2009).

Today’s marketplace is fundamentally different as a result of major societal forces that have
resulted in many new consumer and company capabilities. These forces have created new
opportunities and challenges and changed marketing management significantly as companies
seek new ways to achieve marketing excellence (Newman, 2008).

Good marketing is no accident, but a result of careful planning and execution using state-of-the-
art tools and techniques. It becomes both an art and a science as marketers strive to find creative
new solutions to often-complex challenges amid profound changes in the 21st century marketing
environment. In this book, we describe how top marketers balance discipline and imagination to
address these new marketing realities. In the first chapter, we lay the foundation by reviewing
important marketing concepts, tools, frameworks, and issues (Newman, 2008).

Marketing’s broader importance extends to society as a whole.

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 Marketing has helped introduce and gain acceptance of new products that have eased or
enriched people’s lives. It can inspire enhancements in existing products as marketers innovate to
improve their position in the market place. Successful marketing builds demand for products and
services, which, in turn, creates jobs (Newman, 2008).

CEOs recognize the role of marketing in building strong brands and a loyal customer base, in-
tangible assets that contribute heavily to the value of a firm. Consumer goods makers, health care
insurers, nonprofit organizations, and industrial product manufacturers all trumpet their latest
marketing achievements. Many now have a chief marketing officer (CMO) to put marketing on a
more equal footing with other C-level executives such as the chief financial officer (CFO) or
chief information officer (CIO) (Kotler, 2009).

Marketers must decide what features to design into a new product or service, what prices to set,
where to sell products or offer services, and how much to spend on advertising, sales, the
Internet, or mobile marketing. They must make those decisions in an Internet-fueled environment
where consumers, competition, technology, and economic forces change rapidly, and the
consequences of the marketer’s words and actions can quickly multiply (Verhoef & Leeflang,
2009).

1.2 Background of the Organization

In this study the student researcher will be working on Ambo mineral water manufacturing
industry. It's a beverage manufacturing company that produces flavor Ambo, mineral water Ambo and
Jiva. The company has been in the market since 1930. Ambo comes from the Ethiopian highlands,
aunique part of the world. It’s popularly consumed during and after meals as a digestive, also
popularly consumed as thirst quenching 'soft drink' or as discerning mixer, specifically with whiskey.

The major functional department of corporate sales and marketing must work to accomplish
strategic objectives of the company. However, Ambo mineral water manufacturing industry does
not have a vision, mission and value statement which shows how the organization lacks behind
from the strategic point of view. Thus, the purpose of the study is to assess the marketing strategy
practices of the Ambo mineral water manufacturing industry and to identify whether it is aligned
with the target marketing, market segmentation, marketing mix and corporate mission to satisfy
customer requirements.
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1.3 Statement of the Problem
It is expected that every business company whether small or large, private or government, domestic or
international operates in uncertain environment. In the circumstance of changing customer expectations,
technological advancement, increasing environmental uncertainties, business managers have a big
challenge of making the right marketing strategy and setting their strategic priority in order to allocate
their resources to different functions in an efficient manner for business achievement. Due to this,
managers must develop new tools, new notions, new strategy and the new mindsets to cope with the
turbulent environments leading to discontinuous change.

In the highly competitive marketplaces that are more often the norm, marketing planning is more
fluid and is continually refreshed. Companies must always be moving forward with marketing
programs, innovating products and services, staying in touch with customer needs, and seeking new
advantages rather than relying on past strengths. This is especially true of incorporating the Internet
into marketing plans. Marketers must try to balance increased spending on search advertising,
social media, direct e-mail, and text/SMS marketing efforts with appropriate spending on traditional
marketing communications (Kotler, 2009).

But they must do so in tough economic times, when accountability has become a top priority and
returns on investment are expected from every marketing activity. “Marketing Insight: Marketing in
an Age of Turbulence” offers some recommendations for adjusting to new marketing realities
(Newman, 2008).

Ambo mineral water manufacturing company produces three products the most recent product the
company launch to the market is Jiva. It has been in the market for more than three years. Even if
most Customers use ambo mineral as a digestive after meal but Jiva and Flavored Ambo as new
products must be perceived by consumers as a soft drink. The products are packed in plastic bag.

Based on the preliminary study, the student researcher found some gaps in Ambo mineral water
manufacturing company. Even if Ambo mineral water manufacturing company come up with
products called Jiva with different color and taste but the product is not able to control the market
and can’t increase the market share of the company. There is a lack of brand awareness towards
Jiva and Flavored Ambo soft drinks. This poor brand awareness has another effect on the position
of the products in consumers mind by making it become less memorable brand. There are problems
related with the products packaging, supply and advertisement.

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1.4 Research Question
1. How the marketing strategies are practiced by Ambo Mineral Water Manufacturing Company
aligned with its target marketing and marketing mix to satisfy customer requirements?
2. What are the problems encountered in implementing the marketing strategies?
3. What are the marketing mix elements devised for marketing strategies?

1.5 Objectives of the study

1.5.1 General Objective

The general objective of the study is to assess the marketing strategy practices of Ambo mineral
water manufacturing company.

1.5.2 Specific Objective

The specific objectives of the study are:
1. To assess the marketing strategies practiced by Ambo mineral water manufacturing
company aligned with its target marketing, and marketing mix.
2. To assess problems encountered by Ambo mineral water manufacturing company in
implementing its marketing strategy.

1.6 Scope of the study

The scope of this study is limited to assess the marketing strategies practiced in the ambo mineral
water manufacturing company. This study is concentrated on only in the Addis Ababa branch. The
study involves the corporate sales and marketing department of the company. The study includes the
basic element of marketing strategy such as segmenting, targeting and positioning strategy and 4p’s
(Marketing Mix strategy) to achieve its stated goals. The study delimited to the marketing strategy
practices by the organization’s side with concerned employees.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The main beneficiary of the study is Ambo mineral water manufacturing company. The ultimate
goal of any business establishment is to remain in business profitably through production and
sale of products or services. One of the core activities in a business company is having a well
developed marketing strategy. The main success or failure of a company depends on its
marketing strategies.
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 Therefore, the study is intended to help the company management to redirect its attention to this
highly essential function. This study is expected to look for the company’s problems related to
marketing strategy implementation. The study will also contribute towards the advancement of
theoretical knowledge and it serve as a useful document for further reference for marketing
researchers, consultants and business students at different level.

1.8 Organization of the Paper

The study is organized in to five chapters. The first chapter presented the background of the
study, statement of the problem, general and specific objectives of the study, significance of the
study, and scope and limitations of the study. The second chapter is the review of related
literatures and empirical findings. The third chapter presented the research methodology,
comprising the sample design, data type and source, target population, data collection, data
processing and analysis, and instruments. The fourth chapter dealt with data analysis,
presentation and interpretation. The fifth chapter presents the summary of the major findings,
conclusion of study and recommendations.

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 CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1The nature of Marketing

Marketing is about identifying and meeting human and social needs. One of the shortest good
definitions of marketing is “meeting needs profitably.” The American Marketing Association offers
the following formal definition: Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for
creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers,
clients, partners, and society at large (Clifford, 2009).

Coping with these exchange processes calls for a considerable amount of work and skill. Marketing
management takes place when at least one party to a potential exchange thinks about the means of
achieving desired responses from other parties.

Thus we see marketing management as the art and science of choosing target markets and getting,
keeping, and growing customers through creating, delivering, and communicating superior
customer value (Clifford, 2009).

A social definition shows the role marketing plays in society; for example, one marketer has said
that marketing’s role is to “deliver a higher standard of living.” Here is a social definition that
serves our purpose: Marketing is a societal process by which individuals and groups obtain what
they need and want through creating, offering, and freely exchanging products and services of value
with others (Drucker, 1973).

Managers sometimes think of marketing as “the art of selling products,” but many people are
surprised when they hear that selling is not the most important part of marketing! Selling is only the
tip of the marketing iceberg. Peter Drucker, a leading management theorist, puts it this way:

“There will always, one can assume, be need for some selling. But the aim of marketing is to make
selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the
product or service fits him and sells itself.” Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is
ready to buy. All that should be needed then is to make the product or service available (Bernd,
1999).

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2.3 Marketing Strategy Overview

Not everyone likes the same cereal, restaurant, college, or movie. Therefore, marketers start by
dividing the market into segments. They identify and profile distinct groups of buyers who might
prefer or require varying product and service mixes by examining demographic, psychographic, and
behavioral differences among buyer (Bernd, 1999).

After identifying market segments, the marketer decides which present the greatest opportunities
which are its target markets. For each, the firm develops a market offering that it positions in the
minds of the target buyers as delivering some central benefit(s) (Bernd, 1999).

Companies address customer needs by putting forth a value proposition, a set of benefits that satisfy
those needs. The intangible value proposition is made physical by an offering, which can be a
combination of products, services, information, and experiences.

A brand is an offering from a known source. A brand name such as McDonald’s carries many
associations in people’s minds that make up its image: hamburgers, cleanliness, convenience,
courteous service, and golden arches. All companies strive to build a brand image with as many
strong, favorable, and unique brand associations as possible (Clifford, 2009).
While all marketers do not agree on a common definition of marketing strategy, the term generally
refers to a company plan that allocates resources in ways to generate profits by positioning products
or services and targeting specific consumer groups. Marketing strategy focuses on long term company
objectives and involves planning marketing programs so that they help a company realize its goals.
Companies rely on marketing strategies for established product lines or services as well as for new
products and services. Marketing strategy determines the choice of target market segments,
positioning, marketing mix, and allocation of resources. Marketing strategy encompasses selecting
and analyzing the target market(s) and creating and maintaining an appropriate marketing mix that
satisfies the target market and company. (Fifield, 1994).

To reach a target market, the marketer uses three kinds of marketing channels. Communication
Channels deliver and receive messages from target buyers and include newspapers, magazines,
radio, television, mail, telephone, billboards, posters, fliers, CDs, audio tapes, and the Internet.
Beyond these, firms communicate through the look of their retail stores and Web sites and other
media (Clifford, 2009).
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Marketers are increasingly adding dialogue channels such as e-mail, blogs, and toll-free numbers to
familiar monologue channels such as ads. The marketer uses distribution channels to display, sell,
or deliver the physical product or service(s) to the buyer or user. These channels may be direct via
the Internet, mail, or mobile phone or telephone, or indirect with distributors, wholesalers, retailers,
and agents as intermediaries (Drucker, 1973).

To carry out transactions with potential buyers, the marketer also uses service channels that include
warehouses, transportation companies, banks, and insurance companies. Marketers clearly face
adesign challenge in choosing the best mix of communication, distribution, and service channels for
their offerings (Drucker, 1973).

The marketing environment consists of the task environment and the broad environment. The task
environment includes the actors engaged in producing, distributing, and promoting the offering.
These are the company, suppliers, distributors, dealers, and target customers. In the supplier group
are material suppliers and service suppliers, such as marketing research agencies, advertising
agencies, banking and insurance companies, transportation companies, and telecommunications
companies. Distributors and dealers include agents, brokers, manufacturer representatives, and
others who facilitate finding and selling to customers (Clifford, 2009).

2.4 Elements of Marketing Strategy

In order to achieve the marketing objectives, we need to have a strategy that includes different
elements. Here there are four major elements that are used in the literature to explain the detail of
marketing strategy. These are the Target market, Segmentation, Positioning and the marketing
mixes (Roger, 1994).

2.4.1 Segmentation
At its most basic level, the term “market segmentation” refers to subdividing a market along some
commonality, similarity, or kinship. That is, the members of a market segment share something in
common. The purpose of segmentation is the concentration of marketing energy and force on the
subdivision (or the market segment) to gain a competitive advantage within the segment.

According to Ferell and Hartline (2011), many segmentation approaches are traditional in the sense
that firms have used them successfully for decades. Some organizations actually use more than one
type of segmentation, depending on the brand, product, or market in question.

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The types of segmentation are discussed below.
Bases for Segmentation

The markets can be segmented based on the following basic customer’s characteristics.

A) Demographic Segmentation

In demographic segmentation, we divide the market on variables such as age, family size, family life
cycle gender, education; religion, race, generation, income, nationality and social class
(Kotler,2007).Gender, age, income, housing type, and education level are common demographic
variables. Some brands are targeted only to women, others only to men. Music downloads tend to be
targeted to the young, while hearing aids are targeted to the elderly. Education levels often define
market segments.

B). Geographic Segmentation

This is perhaps the most common form of market segmentation, wherein companies segment the
market by attacking a restricted geographic area. For example, corporations may choose to market
their brands in certain countries, but not in others. A brand could be sold only in one market, one
state, or one region. Geographic segmentation can take many forms (urban versus rural, north versus
south).
C). Behavioral Segmentation
Behavioral segmentation is based on actual customer behavior toward products. Some behavioral
variables include: Benefits sought, Usage rate, Brand loyalty, User status: potential, first time, regular,
etc., Readiness to buy, Occasions: holidays and events that stimulate purchases
D). Psychographic Segmentation
Psychographics is the science of using psychology and demographics to better understand consumers.
In psychographic segmentation, buyers are divided into different groups on the basis of
psychological/personality traits, lifestyle, or values. People within the same demographic group can
exhibit very different psychographic profiles. (Kotler and Keller,2012).
According to Ferell and Hartline (2011), Psychographic segmentation deals with state-of mind issues
such as motives, attitudes, opinions, values, lifestyles, interests, and personality.

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2.4.2 Market Targeting

Targeting is the next step in the sequential process and involves a business making choices about
segment(s) on which resources are to be focused. Targeting is the actual selection of the segment.
A set of buyers sharing common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve."
Companies use target marketing to tailor for specific markets. There are three major targeting
strategies: undifferentiated, concentrated, and differentiated. During this process the business must
balance its resources and capabilities against the attractiveness of different segments (Kotler ,2007).

Target marketing is thus defined as the identification of the market segments that are identified as
being the most likely purchasers of a company’s products. Specifically, the advantages of target
marketing are: Marketing opportunities and unfilled gaps in a market may be accurately appraised
and identified. Such gaps can be real (e.g. sweet, strong, harsh or mild) or they can be illusionary in
terms of the way people want to view the product (e.g. happy, aloof, silly or moody).In the case of
the former, product attributes can fulfill these criteria whereas for the latter these attributes might
well have to be implanted in the minds of customers through an appropriate advertising message.
Market and product appeals through manipulation of the marketing mix can be delicately tuned to
the needs of the potential customer. Marketing effort can be concentrated on the market segments
which offer the greatest potential for the company to achieve its goals be they goals to maximize
profit or to secure the best long-term position for the product or any other appropriate goal
(Whalley , 2010).

2.4.3 Positioning

Positioning is the use of marketing environment to enable people to form a mental image of your
Product in their minds (relative to other products). Positioning is how the product or service is to be
perceived by a target market compared to the competition. It answers the question: “Why will
someone in the target market(s) buy my product or service instead of the competitions?” An
equivalent question is: “What should be the perceived value of my offering compared to the
competitions?” (Kotler, 2007).

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Positioning refers to how customers perceive a firm’s offering relative to competition. Positioning
provides the bridge between targeting and the marketing mix. If customers perceive the product
unfavorably, it can be made more attractive by physically altering it or by repositioning the product
in the minds of customers. Repositioning can dramatically alter consumer perceptions (Shaw,2011).

As Whalley (2010) stated that, after segmentation and market targeting, the next important step in
developing an effective marketing strategy is product positioning. Product positioning refers to the
way in which an organization sets itself apart in the market and how its products and services are
perceived by the target market as a whole; this incorporates the concept of all stakeholders of the
company. To compete successfully in a target market, an organization must have a form of
differential advantage. Positioning is about the communication of the overall value proposition such
that it creates and maintains this clearly to customers, thus creating a distinctive and ideally unique,
place in the market for the organization.

To be effective, the basic value proposition offered by an organization must be something that is
relevant to the target market, it must be differentiated from the competition and it must be
sustainable and communicated clearly to that market. This aspect fits more closely with
differentiation as a generic strategic option and this in part helps to explain the proliferation of
brands, products and services (Whalley, 2010).

2.4.4 Marketing Mix Strategies

As Shaw (2011) stated, the marketing program (popularly called the marketing mix) is the set of
variables that managers use to influence customers. These variables include the product or service,
price, advertising and promotion, and distribution. At the heart of every organization lie one or more
products that define what the organization does and why it exists. Products fall into two general
categories. Products purchased for personal use and enjoyment are called consumer products, whereas
those purchased for resale, to make other products, or for use in a firm’s operations are called
business products (Ferell & Hartline, 2011).

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 2.4.4.1 Product Strategy
Product strategy specifies market needs that may be served by different product offerings. It is
company’s product strategies, duly related to market strategies, which eventually came to dominate
overall strategy and the spirit of the company. Product strategies deal with such matters as number and
diversity of products, product innovations, product scope, and product design.

2.4.4.2 Pricing Strategies

Effective pricing is not an easy task, even under the most favorable conditions. A large number of
internal and external variables must be studied systematically before price can be set. For example:
the reactions of a competitor often standout as an important consideration in developing pricing
strategy (Tellis G, 1986).

Although making the pricing decision is usually a marketing decision, making it correctly requires an
understanding of both the customer and society's view of price as well. In some respects, price setting
is the most important decision made by a business. A price set too low may result in a deficiency in
revenues and the demise of the business. A price set too high may result in poor response from
customers and, unsurprisingly, the demise of the business. The consequences of a poor pricing
decision, therefore, can be dire. We begin our discussion of pricing by considering the perspective of
the customer.

2.4.4.3 Promotion Strategies

Promotion strategies are concerned with the planning, implementing and control of persuasive
Communication with customers. Modern marketing calls for more than developing a good product,
pricing it attractively and making it accessible. Companies must also communicate with present and
potential stakeholders as well as the general public. For most companies, the question is not whether
to communicate but rather what to say, to whom, and how often (Peter et al, 2006).

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2.4.4.4 Distribution Strategies

Managers must think about place-making goods and services available in the right quantity and
locations, when the customers want them. And when different target markets have different needs, a
number of place variations may require. Distribution strategies are concerned with the channels a
firm may employ to make its goods and services available to customers (Perry, 2008).

2.4.5 Distribution Channels

According to Peter et al. (2009), direct producer-to-consumer channels are typical of personal
services such as hairdressing, where use of intermediaries would be impossible, and of major
capital purchases such as houses or home improvements. This is because these products cannot be
broken down into smaller units, or assorted, or accumulated. There is therefore no function for the
middlemen to fulfill. If the distribution network is efficiently managed, goods come down the
channel and information goes up. Retailers can feed back information about what consumers need,
either formally (by carrying out a monitoring exercise and passing the information to the
manufacturer or wholesaler) or informally (since retailers order only what is selling, producers can
infer what is required by the consumers). A good salesperson will also act as an information
channel, and will find out from the retailers what they think consumers want, as well as convey
information from the manufacturers to the retailer.

Major manufacturers often have several distribution channels, catering for different market
segments. Food processing firms will usually have separate channels for caterers and for retailers,
car manufacturers may deal directly with large fleet operators rather than operating through their
retail dealer network, and electronics manufacturers may have one channel for consumer products
and another for defense products (Blythe, 2005).

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2.5 Review of Empirical Framework

Moggahadam (2012) suggested that marketing strategy consist of product, price, promotion, and place
strategies influence market share. In the product strategy quality, variety, sale service and product
specification increased market. These findings indicate that firms need to manufacture a product with
better quality, and this issue requires more attention in this competitive market. The researcher
concluded that in the competitive environment of the market share, it is very important for a firm to
be looking forward to the determinants of market share.

One of the important items in quality is the material of products that has the significant impact on
quality of products. As noted by market needs different kinds of product with special specification
in size, color, cover and thickness. Customers need after-sale service and information, especially
about applying this kind of product for different production. So, managers who want to increase
market share need to improve quality, introduce new product or variety of goods, apply the
customer request specification in size and color, and hiring the specialized staff for after-sale
service. According to analysis pricing, period of payment, offer of discounts, that are under the
pricing strategy to increases sales volume. Companies need to decrease their cost to offer better
price to customers due to the first important item for buyers, which is price of goods. In order to
differentiate the price, one of Porter generic strategy is applied by many companies in their attempt
to obtain these capabilities. In addition, period of payment and discount offering provide more
value for buyers.

Abeselom (2013) conducted a research with a title of “Assessment of marketing strategy practice
in Ethio-Telecom”. This research adopts a combination of primary and secondary source of
information. The primary data was collected through the closed ended questionnaire distributed to
marketing department staffs and personal interviews with top management of the company.

The selection of the respondent is by using census and from 52 questionnaires 50 usable
questionnaires were collected and interview questions were forwarded to 3 chief officers of the
company and used for analysis of the paper. The finding of the study revealed that the customer’s
primary reason for buying the company’s product and service are because of the customer has no
option to buy from other competitor, the company’s product and service quality were rated as
below average , the price of company’s product and service were affordable , the company’s
product and service availability and accessibility are good, communication effectiveness between
14
marketing department and other departments were rated as below average there is no segmentation
for the residential customers and the company is facing problems to implement the marketing
strategies.

Among the problems ineffective communication, structure problem in the marketing division, lack
of coordination and network quality problem are the majors. Generally the research reveals that
marketing element is the significant determinant of marketing strategy. Marketing mix also leads to
increased commitment from the customer and enhances the feeling of association. Based on these,
it is recommended that Ethio Telecom should investigate its marketing strategy and revisit its
current performance against the problem (Abeselom, 2013).

Akinyele (2011), conducted a research to investigate the impact of strategic marketing and firm’s
performance of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. In his study hypothesis have been formulated
from the problem statements saying that, “The organizational structure and strategies adopted do
not affect the market share of Nigerian oil and gas marketing companies” as can be seen from his
study, The overall results suggest that strategic marketing is a driver of organizational positioning
in a dynamic environment, and that it helps to enhance the development of new product/service for
existing markets. These findings, along with other interesting findings of the study, are discussed.
The hypothesis stated by the researcher has been rejected. The findings implied that the
organizational structure and strategies adopted by oil and gas marketing companies affect market
share positively.

The researcher has concluded that the evidence from findings suggested that oil and gas marketing
companies have comparative advantages in adopting various marketing strategies using different
technologies. Oil and gas marketing companies appeared to specialize in the use of traditional
methods of marketing, which is based on “soft” information gathered from close contacts by
marketing and sales department rather than the use of the specialized strategic marketing methods
that are based on “hard” quantitative information. After his conclusion the researcher also passes
his recommendation, the concepts and principles of total quality management are recommended, in
addition contemporary marketing management issues such as relationship marketing, value
analysis, business process re-engineering. Beside the above recommendation the researcher also
passes Efforts should be made by organizational marketers to understand the relevant factors that
affect both clients’ behaviors, and the strategic options to be adopted to cope with such behaviors
(Akinyele, 2011).
15
Generally the research reveals that marketing element is the significant determinant of marketing
strategy. Marketing mix also leads to increased commitment from the customer and enhances the
feeling of association, developing a bonding and nurturing an associative long term relationship. As
such, it has implications for value added services, market segmentation, and customer retention
strategies. The research confirms that marketing mix element significantly affect customer
satisfaction.

2.6 Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework indicates the crucial process, which is useful to show the direction of the
study. In order to achieve the marketing objectives, companies need to have a strategy that includes
different elements. There are four major elements that are used in the detail of marketing strategy.
These are the Target market, Segmentation, Positioning and the marketing mixes.

Market Target
Segmentation marketing

Marketing
strategy

Marketing
Positioning mix:
.product
.price
.place
.promotion

Figure1: conceptual frame work

Source: own designed

16
 CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the methodology selected to collect and analyze the data to address the
research questions. Accordingly, it starts with research design; identifying the target group to be
involved in the research, source of data; data collection method, method of data analysis, and
ethical considerations will be addressed in this section.

3.1 Research Approach and Design

The study followed quantitative and qualitative approaches where both qualitative and quantitative
data were collected for complete view of the different respondents on the issue of the study. The study
followed a descriptive design as the purpose of the study was to assess the current state of affairs
of practicing marketing strategies by the company.

3.2 Data sources

Primary data was collected through personal interview with the marketing manager of the Raya
brewery was conducted on the marketing strategy of the company and close ended and open ended
questionnaires were distributed to the employees (who are working under marketing and sales
department). On the other hand, secondary data was gathered from company annual reports,
Department reports, market research documents, different books and other published secondary
sources

3.3 Sampling Design

The respondents of this study were 64 company employees working in corporate sales and marketing
department.
The selection of the respondents was carried out by using purposive sampling because no other
departments were concerned about marketing strategies. All the 64employees of marketing
division were involved in the study.

17
3.4 Data Collection instruments
Primary data were collected using questionnaires and interview. A questionnaire consisted of
personal information of employees. And an interview was conducted with the marketing manager of the
Ambo mineral water manufacturing company.

3.5. Procedures of Data Collection

In the process of collection of research data, the researcher followed some steps. First before
distributing questionnaires and interview questions to the participants, the researcher searched
information from the company regarding the marketing strategy practices. Then, the researcher
confirmed the willingness of the company by preparing a letter of support from the university.
After getting consent from the participant, the prepared questionnaires and interviews were
forwarded to the respected participants.

3.6 Method of Data Analysis

The collected data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Quantitative
data was analyzed by using frequencies, percentage and presented using tables. The qualitative
data was analyzed in a narrative form.

3.7. Ethical considerations

In this study all participants and data collected remain confidential and identities of respondents
remain anonymous. Moreover, the privacy of all respondents was respected in the reporting of
this research. No details of individuals involved in this research were included. In this study,
each participant was provided with information that explained the purpose of the research along
with the questionnaire and interview.

18
 CHAPTER FOUR

Data Presentation and Analysis

In this section, data collected for this study is presented. First profile of the respondents will be
presented followed by the interpretation of data collected through the questionnaire in various tables.

4.1 Profile of Respondents

Table 1 General information of Respondents

Items Number Percentage

A) Gender Female 38 59.4%
Male 26 40.6%
Total 64 100%
B) Age(years) Less than 20 9 14.1%
21 to 35 31 48.4%
36 to 50 18 28.1%
51 to 65 4 6.3%
More than 65 2 3.1%
Total 64 100%
C) Educational level 1 to 12 Grade 0 0%
Certificate 11 17.2%
Diploma 21 32.8%
BA/BSC 27 42.2%
MA/MSC/MBA 3 4.7%
PhD 2 3.1%
Total 64 100%
D) Position Senior Manager 1 1.6 %
Manager 2 3.1%
Staff 61 95.3%
Total 64 100%
E) Service years of Less than 1 year 2 3.1%
respondents in the company 2 to 5 14 21.9%
5 to 10 18 28.1%
10 to 15 19 29.7%
More than 15 years 11 17.2%
Total 64 100%

From table 1 above, about 41% of employee respondents were male and the 59% staffs were
19
female. The age of majority employees was between 21 and 35 years old (48.4%).

Employees who were between 36 to 50 years were 28.1% and from 51 to 65 years old were 6.3%.

This indicates that there was a potential advantage for working by young employees
especially to achieve future objectives of the company’s marketing strategy as younger
employees were more eager to work.

When we saw the level of education, 32.8% of the respondents were Diploma holders and 42.1%
were first degree whereas 4.7% were second degree holders. Here, we can conclude that all the
respondents are educated. This implies that it is good advantage for marketing strategy
application and gives the organization a competitive advantage because now a days the Beverage
industries are in a highly competitive market.

With respect to the position of the respondents, 95.3% were in lower level positions and the rest
were senior managers and managers. This indicates that, it is a fact that in every Organization
there was few managers and many employees that signify a few manager plans the activity and
ordered the lower level employees of the company to do it.

Finally, the highest numbers of respondents (29.7%) have work experience of 10 to15 years in
the company. Those with 5 to 10 years of experience were 28.1% of the respondents. About 22%
of the respondents had 2 to 5 years of experience and the rest 17.2% had more than 15 years of
experience in the company. Long years of experience shows that there is a relatively lower
employee turn-over which may reduce cost of hiring new employees and saves time. As a result,
the company can achieve its objectives and can maximize its profit. Generally, senior marketing
staffs are knowledgeable about the marketing strategy practices and activities of the company.

The most crucial activity of marketing strategy is the selection of target markets, that is, to which
the products are produced. Companies use target marketing to tailor for specific markets.

20
4.2 Interview Analysis

To gather more information about marketing strategy practices of Ambo mineral water
manufacturing company, interview questions were forwarded to the marketing managers of the
company. Most interview responses were presented in the questionnaire analysis part as a
supportive response. The remaining interview responses are depicted here under.

1. What roles does a marketing strategy play in promoting modern marketing to

achieve its objectives?

As the interviewee replied, modern marketing is a complex practice that involves the
production of quality and standard products, the establishment of various and efficient
distribution networks, popularizing the product with fair prices and delivering continuous
services after distribution. In this connection, Ambo mineral water manufacturing company
has done a lot with regard to marketing strategies of its products.

The marketing strategy of the company is effectively practiced and it is customer oriented. This
indicates the Company’s marketing strategy is effectively implemented by its employees to achieve
its objectives because the workers showed great commitment and dedication to keep the Company
and its product popular.

These strategies will effectively accomplished by improving the type, quality and quantity of the
products, by discarding all out dated machines and substituted them with modern and state of the
art technologies, and by using the same bottles used by all modern Breweries and these do not
get broke, bored or eroded easily: the bottles are also distributing in strong and handy creates.

The company also implementing the marketing strategies effectively by advertising the product
by erecting artistic notice board in towns, at main public squares, sight catching places, major
outlets and inlets, public service stations and on vehicles, by using modern distribution networks
to sufficiently supply and distribute to all parts of the country at an affordable prices,
by contributing to popular events by means of sponsoring various exhibitions, music festivals,
public gatherings, religious events, research forums, mass media programs etc and by providing
training in the country and abroad, to production, technical and marketing personnel and thus
improving their capability and capacity.

21
 The managers also explained that there are marketing strategy check lists which facilitate the
marketing strategy practices to be implemented in effectively. These are: by define what
the company is, identify the products that the company provides, identifies the target
buyers/end users, determine whether the company will be a market category leader,
follower, challenger, or niche player, and describes the unique characteristics of the products
that distinguish t hem from the competition, define whether the pricing will be above,
below, or at parity with the competitors and establish whether the company will
lead, follow, or ignore changes in competitors' pricing, identify the distribution channels
through which the pro ducts will be made available to the target market/end users, describe
how advertising and promotions will convey the unique characteristics of the products,
describe any research and development activities or market research plans that are unique to
the business, describe the image or personality of the company and its products. These
shows the employees can accomplish their duties easily by referring the marketing strategy
check lists as a result the marketing strategy of the company will be implemented
successfully.

2. What are the problems of marketing strategy practices/implementation?

In fact when you run a business, everything might not be easily accomplished. Likewise the
company faced with some problems while implementing the marketing strategies. The
interviewee forwarded the following problems regarding the marketing strategy practices/imple
mentation. These are:

• Infrastructure problem: • it is the major problem which hampers the company’s marketing
strategy to not to implement well. With any facility of infrastructures (like roads to transport
product, electricity to stay it with a refrigerator, water, telecommunication etc.), it will be very
difficult to address for all regions.

▪ Economic problem: as we know the income of individuals are not equal, some may
have good income, in the contrarily some may not have enough money even to eat bread.
Due to these financial problems, all people may not be drinking our products.

▪ Shortage of raw materials: sometimes there is a shortage of raw materials like

bottles, and plastic bags may not be found easily.

22
 ▪ Seasonality: there is some seasonality of consumption of mineral
water products. For example, in the fasting season most people may not
drink mineral water. So, during this season there will be less
consumption of products.

▪ Shortage of supplies: there is a high demand in the market.

Therefore one can understood that, these all the interviewee implied that the company has
faced a problem of implementing the marketing strategies and these problems may hinder the
strategies not to achieve the objectives of the company successfully.

3. What does the future hold for Ambo mineral water manufacturing company?

According to the managers, as a future plan, Ambo mineral water manufacturing company
is already on the way to open other plant. There is a shortage of mineral water in the market
today. This reveals that there is a high demand of Ambo mineral water in the country,
Ethiopia. To fill the gap between the demand and supply of mineral water, it is a need to expand
the new ventures in different regions of the country.

Based on the interviewee responses one can concluded that due to the high demand of Ambo
mineral water, currently there is high shortage of water in the market

4. What is the company’s business strategy?

The company’s overall business strategy is not limited to the specific strategy. By analyzing the
internal, external and SWOT matrix, the company will design its business strategy as
differentiation by making the products unique to the customers and making attractive to pay
premium price cost leadership the company provides the products in lower prices than
competitors. Large portion of R&D budget is directed towards process oriented intended to make
the product easier and cheaper to produce and focus strategy by dividing the market in to distinct
groups of the buyer, the company can compete the market because buyers are too
numerous, too widely scattered and too varied in their needs and buying process. So, it is
difficult to address for all buyers in the same way. This indicates that Ambo mineral water
manufacturing company uses a combination of different business strategies to achieve its target.
23
 Depending on most of the interviewee responses one can conclude that Ambo mineral water
manufacturing company used a combination of different business strategies to achieve its target.

5. What is the distribution strategy of the company?

“Quality product is the key to the company success” said the marketing and sales managers of
the Company. “And as a result, everyone is willing to carry out our products.” they added. This
shows that once quality product is produced, it will not have any problem to distribute it and
the Company produces quality products and distributes it through direct and indirect channels.

An agent is assigned to each market or region or a big territory. For an agent to be selected by
the company, it must have financial capacity, skilled and experienced manpower, necessary
logistics (or transportation), it must be legal or licensed, has storage capacity, well structured,
and reputed. The agent should also be capable of maintaining closer conduct with the company
and different roots under its chain.

We can conclude that the interviewee has replied the best distribution strategy of the quality
product of the company were through direct and indirect channels such as radio & television.
6. Who are your target consumers? And how does the company positioned its products?

As the respondent answered me this question, the target customers of Ambo Mineral Water Company
are Hotels, Restaurants and Groceries and in the second place we can get individual customers as
target groups .The company position its products in customers mind by implementing different
promotional activities.

7. What are the marketing strategies offered by the company in terms of 4Ps?

According to the marketing manager of the company Marketing mixes are the basic elements of the
company. Products, prices, and promotion place/distribution strategies that are essential for the
marketing strategy implementation. The response implies that the company uses the 4Ps marketing mix
elements for the purpose of marketing strategy implementation because each ingredient affects the other
and each mix must be suitable to the target customers and to maximize its profits, gain market share and
for competitive advantages.
24
 8. What is the status of promotional mixes done by the company in terms of advertising, personal
selling, sales promotion, participating in bazaars and exhibitions, broachers etc?

The company carries out its promotional campaign using different promotional tools and mechanisms.

Advertising is one of the promotional tools intensively utilized by the company. Because through it
the company believes that it can reach more audience than other promotional tool.

Personal selling is the other promotional tools used by the company in its promotional mix. It
involves direct relationship between the sellers and the customers. In addition, the company does its
promotional activity through television, radio, magazine, newspaper, participation special sponsorship
programs, meeting participants as a promotion etc.
9. How can be seen products availability and accessibility of your company?

Thus, products availability is so nice that buyers can get the product easily in almost everywhere.
Starting from small shops to large hotels and groceries. And the company is doing its best to access
the society. By increasing its product and channels of distribution.

10. what are the market segmentations strategies the company apply?

Geographic segmentation appears to be the main mechanism of the company’s market segmentation.
In this regard, the interviewed manager said that the basis of the company market segmentation also
considered the facility of infrastructures like water, electricity, telecommunication, cultures, values,
religion and urban areas. Therefore the bases of the company’s market segmentations were
geographic location. Even though geographic segmentation is the basic segmentation strategy
psychographic, behavioral and demographic segmentation are also practiced in lower percent.

25
11. What are the bases for your pricing strategy? And what is your opinion
concerning the price of the company’s products?

According to the manager bases for price setting are the consumers who use the
products, economic factors, raw material consumption and so on. And in my
opinion says the manager there is no fixed pricing strategy but in general our
products price is affordable. It is not that cheap and that much expensive.

12. How do you see the communication effectiveness between your

department (marketing department) and other departments in your
company?

The communication effectiveness between our department and other

departments is good. But it is not satisfactory the department has to work on it
and we are looking forward for this issue.

26
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

In this chapter, the summary of the major findings, conclusions made for the analyzed data and
recommendation are presented. As a reminder the purpose of the study and the research
questions addressed in the study are also presented.

5.1 Purpose and research questions

The purpose of this the study was assessment on the marketing strategy of Ambo mineral water
factory.

5.2 Summary of the major findings

The data was gathered mainly through questionnaires and interview from the respondent of
the study, the data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed in percentage.

The demographic background the sample indicated that, from the total respondents
38(59.4%) were female,31(48.4%) respondents were their age between the age of 21-35 years
,27(42.2%) of the respondent were their educational back ground masters, 61(95.3%) of the
respondents were their position status staff members and 19(29.7%) 0f the respondents out of
64 respondent ,their service in the company were between 10-15 years.

Mostly the target customers are hotels, restaurants and groceries.

The majority of the respondent have said that the distribution strategy were concerned the
markets availability and accessibility of the product were excellent.
The marketing mix elements adopted by the company are the 4P’s (Product, Price, Place
and Promotion).
The company pricing strategy is reasonable and affordable but the company has not any
written pricing policy and the price of the products are depends on Transportation charges,
Competitors cost, Economic factor, Gross profit cost, Overhead cost, Net profit, and
Direct cost.
Products availability is so nice and buyers can get the product easily in almost Every
where.

27
 The selling process for the company product is mainly through indirect channels.
These indirect channels are intermediaries’ agents who address the product from the producer to
the consumers.

5.3 Conclusion

The response from the consumers shows that the company provides quality products. Furthermore,
the interview from the marketing managers also witnessed about the Company’s product quality.
The price of the company is affordable for most of the consumers; as a result most individual
consumers can handle this price. Marketing strategies are the means by which the marketing objectives will
be achieved. The employees and managers of the marketing department are genuinely performing their duties
to achieve the company’s objective .these elements are selection of target customers, segmentation strategies
and marketing mix strategy elements.
It is also classified based on the customer characteristics such as demographic, geographic,
behavioral and psychographic or lifestyle segmentation. However, among those segmentation bases
the company uses geographic location as a major form of segmentation variables. In addition to
geographic segmentation the company market segmentation is based on the facility of
infrastructures like water, electricity, telecommunication, cultures, values, religion and urban areas.

Ambo mineral water manufacturing company exploits all the 4Ps of marketing mix elements to
achieve its target. These marketing mix elements are product strategy, price, promotion and
place/distribution strategy. These are vital to implement the marketing strategy effectively
inseparable because each mix affects the other. Therefore, all the mixes are essential for the
company to achieve its customer requirements.

The Company products are produced with excellent qualities because in almost all stages of
production, the company gives a high emphasis for quality.

In terms of the pricing strategy, the company sets the fair pricing strategy for its customers. The
objective is to maximize its profits. It has not any written pricing policy as a result the prices of the
products are depends on different factors like; transportation charges, competitors’ costs, economic
factors, gross profit costs and direct costs. Generally, the pricing strategy is not in a single way

28
because there is a highly turbulent environment and the price also will change according to the
conditions. The company like any other organization, prices its products to maximize its profits or
the price must cover the whole costs and should gain some profits. But the company works hard to
lower its production, overhead and administrative costs by cutting redundant operations,
increase efficiency and productivity.

Promotion strategy is also an essential tool for the practice of the marketing strategy of the
company. The company promotional tools are advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and
public relation. The Company promotes its products by means of erecting artistic notice board in
towns, at main public squares, sight catching places, major outlets and inlets, public service
stations and on vehicles etc and contributing to popular events by means of sponsoring various
exhibitions, music festivals, public gatherings, research forums, religious events e tc. The
company’s promotional mix strategies create a good image for the company and gained popularity
as the company’s perspectives of quality products.

Distribution strategies are concerned with the channels of a firm that employ to make its goods
available to customers. The distribution system of the company is accessible and determines the
product's marketing presence and the buyers' accessibility to the product. Thus, products
availability is so nice and buyers can get the product almost everywhere. The selling processes of
the products are mainly through intermediaries.

29
5.4. Recommendation
. Segmenting a market is essential in a marketing strategy by dividing a broad target market into
homogenous groups. The study indicated that, the existing market segmentation of the company is
mostly geographic. Thus, the company should consider the segmentation of residential customers by
means of demographic segment in order to target each segment in the right way, with the proper
products and messages, using the right channels and price points.

. For the infrastructure problems like crowded roads the company is advised to dispatch its products
early.

. The demand and supply of the products are not evenly distributed, Therefore, the company
should work more to fill the gap between the imbalances of demand to supply requirements
and recognize that they can no longer take their customers ‘loyalty for granted, and need to
adopt ongoing marketing strategies to satisfy the demand of the customers’ requirement and
to stay ahead of their competitors.

. The Marketing Mix Analysis has the dignity to help the company implement the right
marketing strategies to satisfy and penetrate the company’s customer groups, which is
phrased as target markets. Therefore, the company should constantly alter the sub elements
of each marketing mix to successfully compete with its competitors and offer the greatest
value to its customers.

. The company should develop continues and supportive training programs for their
Employees and

30
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 Appendix A

Questionnaires to be filled by employees of ambo mineral water

Dear respondents;

The purpose of this questionnaire is to carry out a research for the partial fulfillment of master's
degree in Business Administration. Any information you present will be kept confidential and
will be used only for academic purpose. Your cooperation and prompt response will be highly
appreciated.
General instruction

~ This questionnaire is to be filled by employees of ambo mineral water.

~ You are not required to write your name.

~ Please put a " " mark in the box of your choice.

SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Sex

Male Female

2. Age

Less than 20 year

21- 35 years

36-50 years

51-65 years

Above 65 years

34
3. Educational Status

1-12grade
Certificate
Diploma
BA/BSC
MA/MSC/MBA
PHD

2. Position Manager senior manager staff

3. How long have you been employee of ambo mineral water Factory?

Less than 1 year

2-5 years
5-10 years

10-15 years

More than 15years

35
 APPENDIX B

Interview Questions with marketing managers of ambo mineral water Dear Interviewee; The
purpose of this interview question is to enable me to carry out a research for the partial
fulfillment of Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA). Thank You in advance!

1. What roles does a marketing strategy play in promoting modern marketing to achieve its
objectives?

2. What are the problems of marketing strategy practices/implementation?

3. What does the future hold for the company?

4. What is the company’s business strategy?

5. What is the distribution strategy of the company?

6. Who are your target consumers? And how does the company positioned its products?

7. What are the marketing strategies offered by the company in terms of 4Ps?

8. What is the status of promotional mixes done by the company in terms of advertising, Personal
selling, sales promotion, participating in bazaars and exhibitions, broachers etc?

9. How can be seen products availability and accessibility of your company?

10. What are the market segmentations strategies the companies apply?

11. What are the bases for your pricing strategy? And what is your opinion concerning the price of
the company’s products?

12. How do you see the communication effectiveness between your department (marketing
department) and other departments in your company?

36